The air in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had shifted subtly in the days following their return.
The usual, almost lazy grace that characterized the sect's atmosphere was pierced by a new, determined energy emanating from its young miss.
Ning Rongrong, who had once viewed cultivation as a tedious task, was now often found in the practice courtyards at dawn, her delicate features set in concentration as she guided spirit energy into her body.
From his study window, Ning Fengzhi watched his daughter, a complex mixture of pride and concern in his heart. The change was undeniable.
The spoiled, willful young mistress was receding, replaced by a focused, diligent spirit master.
He exchanged a glance with the man standing like a sentinel beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, whose stern face bore a rare expression of approval.
"It seems the journey was more fruitful than we anticipated," Chen Xin remarked, his voice a low rumble. "She has found her drive."
Ning Fengzhi nodded slowly. "She has. I only wonder what, precisely, provided the spark."
The one who was not merely wondering but deeply perplexed was Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
He found the new Rongrong concerning; he thought that someone was bullying her, and she was working harder to prove them wrong.
Finally, unable to bear the curiosity, he cornered her after a particularly strenuous session, her robes damp with sweat.
"Rongrong," he began, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"Grandpa Bone wants to ask. What made you cultivate so hard? You've been training like a possessed person since we got back. Did you get bullied while you were outside?" At the end, Gu Rong's voice was a panicked
Ning Rongrong, still catching her breath, looked up at her beloved Uncle Bone. A faint, uncharacteristically shy smile touched her lips.
"I'm just… I want to be stronger, Uncle. I want to impress someone when we meet again."
"Impress someone?" Gu Rong's eyebrows shot up. "Who? That icy-faced Sword Grandpa? You've already impressed him!"
"No, not him," she said, her gaze drifting towards the window, as if looking towards a distant city.
"It's… It's that boy from Nuoding City. Tang San. I want to be stronger so I can impress him when we see each other at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
The world seemed to freeze for Bone Douluo. Tang San?
The name meant nothing to him. But the implication—that some unknown, insignificant boy from a backwater city was the reason for this profound change in their treasured Rongrong—ignited a protective fury within him.
His mind conjured the image of a sly, unworthy peasant boy scheming to win the favor of their sect's most precious jewel.
"A pig!" he roared, the word exploding through the quiet courtyard. "A dirty, snuffling pig is trying to dig up our prized cabbage!"
Before a bewildered Ning Rongrong could process his metaphor, he was gone, a blur of motion storming towards Ning Fengzhi's study.
He burst through the doors, his aura crackling with indignation.
"Fengzhi!" he bellowed, pointing a bony finger accusingly.
"There's a problem! A big one! Some country bumpkin named Tang San has been filling Rongrong's head with ideas! She's training herself to the bone to impress him! Our little cabbage is being targeted by a wild boar!"
Ning Fengzhi, who had been reviewing sect documents, looked up calmly. Chen Xin, standing beside him, merely let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh, as if he had been expecting this.
"Uncle Bone, calm yourself," Ning Fengzhi said, his voice a soothing counterpoint to Gu Rong's storm. "Please, sit."
"Calm? How can I be calm when our Rongrong—"
"Tang San," Ning Fengzhi interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument, "is not a 'wild boar.' He is the son of Tang Hao."
The name landed in the room with the weight of a mountain. Gu Rong's fury vanished, replaced by stunned silence. His jaw went slack. "The… Clear Sky Douluo?" he whispered.
"Precisely," Ning Fengzhi confirmed, steepling his fingers.
"We met him in Nuoding City. The boy possesses twin spirits—the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Grass. His talent is… staggering. His control, even at his young age, is exceptional. He is quiet, disciplined, and carries himself with a maturity beyond his years. Rongrong was deeply impacted by his strength and his character."
He proceeded to recount the encounter in detail.
Gu Rong slowly sank into a chair, the fight gone out of him. The image of the scheming peasant boy was replaced by the far more complicated and dangerous picture of the Clear Sky Clan's scion.
"The Clear Sky Hammer…" he muttered, rubbing his temples. "This changes everything. And nothing. He's still a boy who has our Rongrong thinking about him!"
"And if he is the catalyst for her to finally embrace her path as a spirit master?" Chen Xin interjected quietly.
"Can we truly see that as a bad thing? Her cultivation speed has increased dramatically. Her focus has sharpened. The effect, so far, has been entirely positive."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Sword Douluo is right. We do not need to approve, but we should observe. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy will be the next stage. We will watch Tang San closely. If his influence remains beneficial, then we have gained much. If it turns sour…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the unspoken promise of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's protection was clear in the room.
Gu Rong grumbled, but the logic was sound. But, it didn't change Gu Rong's mind that their prized cabbage might be eaten by a pig.
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Now let's see how Hu Liena and Xie Yue are doing in the Spirit City.
In the opulent halls of Spirit Hall Academy, far from the pastoral simplicity of Holy Soul Village and the rustic inns of the frontier, a different kind of drama was unfolding.
Hu Liena sat at her vanity, a delicate sheet of parchment before her, the tip of her quill tapping restlessly against the inkwell.
Writing to Mei had seemed like a simple, pleasant task—a way to maintain a connection with the intriguing girl they'd met in Nuoding City.
But now, faced with the blank page, she found herself strangely hesitant.
What should I even write? She wondered.
Hope your studies are going well. My brother is secretly obsessed with you? No, that won't do.
The door to her room creaked open, and Yan slipped in, his eyes alight with his usual, undampened enthusiasm.
"What are you doing, Nana? A poem for me, perhaps? I'll love anyt—"
"It's a letter to Mei," Liena cut him off with the firmness of one who had long since grown accustomed to deflecting his affections.
Yan's face lit up.
"The girl from Nuoding! A wonderful idea! You should tell her all about our exploits! And," he added, puffing out his chest, "you must be sure to mention me. Describe me as your dashing, devoted… boyfriend." He waggled his eyebrows.
Hu Liena fixed him with a flat, unamused stare. "I am not lying to her, Yan. And you are not my boyfriend. You are a nuisance who happens to be moderately skilled."
"A bit lacking in flair! I accept it!" Yan declared, completely undeterred. "But surely, a little embellishment for the sake of storytelling—"
"No," Liena said, her tone final. She set the quill down. The problem wasn't the content about herself; it was the part about her brother.
Xie Yue had been unusually quiet since their return, and she knew the handkerchief he'd "acquired" from Mei was the cause.
She needed a male perspective, and while Yan was useless, her brother was usually more clear-headed. "Where is Xie Yue, anyway?"
"Saw him heading to his room not long ago," Yan supplied helpfully. "Probably brooding handsomely. A family trait, I see."
Ignoring him, Hu Liena stood and swept out of the room. She navigated the familiar corridors of the academy's dormitory wing until she reached her brother's door.
Hearing no sound from within, she didn't bother to knock, simply pushing the heavy oak door open.
"Xie Yue, I need your opinion on what to…" Her voice died in her throat.
The scene before her was frozen in time. Xie Yue was seated on the edge of his bed, his back to the door. In one hand, he held a familiar piece of white cloth, embroidered with a delicate crescent moon—Mei's handkerchief.
He held it close to his face, his shoulders tense. His other hand was, unmistakably, shoved down the front of his trousers, a frantic motion that halted the instant the door opened.
He twisted his head, and his eyes, wide with sheer, unadulterated panic, met hers.
Hu Liena's initial shock lasted only a second.
Then, a slow, deeply knowing smirk spread across her beautiful features. Her fox-like eyes glinted with triumphant amusement. All her teasing suspicions had just been confirmed in the most vivid way possible.
"Well," she purred, her voice dripping with sly implication. "I was going to ask what I should write to Mei about. But I think… now I know."
Her gaze flickered meaningfully from his horrified face to the handkerchief still clutched in his white-knuckled grip.
She didn't wait for a response. With a final, devastating smirk, she began to pull the door closed. "Please continue," she said, her tone light and airy. "And forget I was here."
The door clicked shut.
For a heartbeat, there was absolute silence in Xie Yue's room. Then, a tidal wave of pure, mortified horror crashed over him.
She knows. Liena knows. And she will tell Mei. She will write it in a letter, and Mei will know.
The thought was more terrifying than any spirit beast he had ever faced.
With a strangled gasp, he scrambled off the bed, yanking his hand free and fumbling to stuff the handkerchief into a drawer.
He burst out of his room, his face a flaming crimson, and sprinted down the hall after his sister. He caught her just as she was about to re-enter her own room, grabbing her arm.
"Nana! Wait!" he hissed, his voice a desperate whisper, his eyes darting around to ensure they were alone.
Hu Liena turned, her expression one of feigned innocence. "Yes, brother? Is something the matter? You seemed… occupied."
"You cannot," he pleaded, his pride in tatters. "You can't tell her. You can't write that."
"Write what?" she asked, tilting her head. "That my esteemed brother, the prodigy of Spirit Hall, has certain… private rituals involving a certain girl's personal gift? It does add a layer of character, don't you think?"
Xie Yue looked like he was about to be sick. "I'll… I'll do anything. Just please, don't tell her. Don't even hint at it."
Hu Liena studied his desperate face, the amusement in her eyes softening just a fraction.
This was more than just casual interest; this was a level of vulnerability she had never seen in her proud brother. He was truly, deeply mortified.
"Anything?" she repeated, a negotiator seizing her advantage.
"Anything. Name it."
She tapped a finger against her chin, drawing out the moment. "Very well. My conditions are these: First, you will stop rolling your eyes every time I give you some advice. It's rude."
Xie Yue gritted his teeth but gave a sharp nod.
"Second," she continued, her smile returning, "you will need to buy me lunch for the rest of the month."
"Fine. Done."
"And third," she said, her voice dropping to a more serious tone. "When you finally decide to write to her yourself—and don't bother denying that you will—you will let me read the letter before you send it."
His eyes widened in protest, but the threat of her alternative was too great. He swallowed hard, the humiliation complete. "...Agreed."
"Excellent!" Hu Liena beamed, patting his cheek condescendingly.
"See? Brother and sister, working in harmony. Your secret is safe with me." She leaned closer, her voice a whisper.
"But for heaven's sake, Xie Yue, be more careful. Or at least remember to lock your door."
She slipped into her room, leaving him standing alone in the corridor, his heart still pounding, his face burning, and the scent of Mei's handkerchief lingering on his hand.
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Hi everyone, I hope your day has been great. I'm here to announce my further plan for this fanfic in the future. Don't be sad, I'm not abandoning this story, but here I'm going to tell you about the plotline.
First, I've been getting great inspiration and ideas from all of you, and many scenarios have been written down in my notepad. As a preview, I'm going to say that' Who do you think would fit to be a Main dancer and Main Rapper? Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, or Zhu Zhuqing?
Second, for the love interest. I'm sorry to say I haven't decided yet, but I've been thinking maybe changing the Love interest to an idol and fan relationship. What do you think about this, or do you still want the lover route? Tell me in the comments.
And that's all for now, in the future I'll try to communicate with all of you more often. And as always, if you enjoy what I create, you can support me by giving me a power stone and leaving a review on my novel, and if you want, you can read the next chapters early by buying them at https://ko-fi.com/chesse_cake_is_life.
Thank you all! <3 <3